Are We Ready For Beslan School Terror Here?
October 13, 2004
The story from the Washington Times made my blood run cold. “ U.S. security officials are investigating a recent intelligence report that a group of 25 Chechen terrorists illegally entered the United States from Mexico in July,” the first line read. Chechen terrorists? Here in the United States? Why? We've done nothing to raise the ire of Chechen rebels, have we? I'm sure those in the “Flat Earth Society,” who still maintain there was no connection between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda, reacted to the Times story with the same head-in-the-sand response. “So, what?” If we leave terrorists alone, these people believe, they'll leave us alone. That's exactly the attitude that makes us so vulnerable to another attack. It also underscores just how important our work in Iraq really is.
I reluctantly warned after September 11 that the world best redirect its attention to its schools. While beefing up security at airports is certainly necessary, the terrorists seem to be two steps ahead of us. We must start thinking like them or suffer the consequences. A massive attack on an unguarded school would strike as much, if not more, terror in the hearts of citizens as the World Trade Center attacks. Unfortunately, my dire prediction came true in Beslan, Russia where pro-Chechnya Muslim terrorists took over a school and more than 300 people were killed. I'm sure the citizens of Russia believed their decision not to join the coalition in Iraq had bought them immunity from such a horrific attack. They were wrong.
The naivete of the “American Neville Chamberlain Society” is astounding. They believe it impossible that common enemies of the United States would actually work together. They demand clear and unambiguous links as if these masterminds of terror issue press releases of their intent and provide the world with the minutes from each of their clandestine meetings. They suppose that evil conducts itself in the same fashion as the civilized world. They are wrong.
They completely dismiss the recent revelation by CNSNews.com of 42 pages of documents confiscated by U.S. forces that show “numerous efforts by Saddam Hussein's regime to work with some of the world's most notorious terror organizations, including al Qaeda, to target Americans.” They turn a blind eye to an ABC News report of captured Iraqi prisoners who claim first-hand knowledge of al Qaeda operatives being trained by Saddam's regime. They ignore recent investigations into French and Russian involvement in the oil-for-food program run by the UN in which these countries are accused of taking kick-backs from Saddam Hussein in exchange for favorable votes in the UN Security Council. No wonder they refused to join us in toppling that brutal regime. That would derail their gravy train.
The sad reality is, these misguided partisans are motivated by their intense hatred of George W. Bush. These very same people hailed President Clinton as a great humanitarian for stopping the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia but would throw the brutalized citizens of Iraq to the wolves to vindicate the “stolen election” of 2000. How pathetic.